A recent study has revealed one very interesting fact – women need more sleep than men.
Scientists from Duke University have concluded that women have to face more physical and mental consequences when they don’t get enough rest compared to men.
However, this study is not only supporting women who want to sleep more, it also comes with new recommendations regarding women’s health and women who have greater chances of developing depression, heart disease, and psychological illnesses and problems.
This interesting study was managed by famous sleep expert and psychologist Michael Breus and it was focused on determining the need for sleep by men and women by measuring their reactions and ability to cope with inadequate rest. Breus claims that this study has confirmed that each gender has different needs.
Most women were angrier, more depressed, and more hostile in general early in the morning.
How Much Sleep Do Men and Women Need?
There are many reasons that lead to this difference between genders. But, many experts are convinced that the main reason is the way people use their mental energy. These experts claim that women use their brains a lot more compared to men.
According to Jim Horne, head of the Sleep Research Center at Loughborough University in England, one of the most important functions of sleep is to provide the necessary terms for the brain to repair and recover. While we are sleeping, the area of our brain that is associated with memory, thoughts, language, and similar functions, is shut down and we are in full recovery mode. In other words, the more parts of your brain are used when you are awake the more time it needs to recover.
Women are better than men when it comes to multitasking. They can perform several tasks at once and they are more flexible which means that they use more parts of the brain at once.
So, the conclusion is that in case men use their brains more when they are awake they would also need more sleep.
On the other hand, men who work complex jobs that include increased lateral thinking and making many decisions during the day should also sleep more than average men, although they still need to sleep less than women.
The Science of Sleep
The study conducted by Breus and his team of experts is a great contribution to the existing scientific studies and experiments related to human health and sleep problems, especially sleep deprivation. A study published at the beginning of this year conducted by scientists from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has confirmed the link between accelerated skin aging and insufficient rest.
Some other studies have found a relation between sleeping problems or lack of sleep and increased chances of developing blood clots, heart disease, mental problems, and stroke.
An average adult needs between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per day. However, about 80% of people say they are usually sleepless.
Learn more about rest patterns and sleep at Snopes
Sources: Medical Daily | Independent